Blog Tour: Goodbye To You | A.J. Matthews | Dream Cast| Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on Goodbye to You tour for A.J. Matthews. This tour is hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.

---

Goodbye To You
Author: A.J. Matthews
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: July 1st 2014

A tragic diagnosis. A determination to survive. A drastic decision. The man who changes everything.

This summer, I'm playing nursemaid to my sister. Yeah, I know. Relatively good looking twenty-two-year-olds don't spend the summer bedside in the cancer ward but, that's the plan. Until my sister threatens me with bodily harm unless I get on a plane and take a trip like normal girls my age.

And even though I hate leaving her, I know she's right. At least I'll have stories to tell when I return. In the back of my mind, all I can think is, "Go and live your life, while you still can." So I go and promise to have a good time.

That's when I met him. He likes me. Really likes me. But more than that, he loves my boobs -- like can't get enough. I have no idea how to tell him that they'll be gone soon, courtesy of a preventative double mastectomy. Yep. That's what testing positive for the breast cancer gene mutation will do to a girl.

But don't feel sorry for me. I'm enjoying him, holding on until the last possible minute, while I muster up the strength to tell him, and watch him walk away.

GOODBYE TO YOU Dream Cast

I like looking at pretty people, and I am a visual writer, so coming up with a dream cast was easy for me. I’d cast the leads last year while I was writing the book, and I am really excited to share with you them and my cast of supporting characters from my debut novel, GOODBYE TO YOU.

Thea McBride

Blond, beautiful, bodacious body? Meet my ideal Thea, Scarlett Johansen. Thea loves her body, and Scarlett is well-known for showing off her famous curves.  They’re both on the shorter side, and the loose side braid in this photo of Scarlett reminds me so much of my cover. While they’re physically similar, I’ve seen Scarlett play characters like Thea really well. She has a strength, but vulnerability lies just below the surface. Thea is brave, making a decision in her early 20s that most of us will never have to make in a lifetime. She’s also afraid no one will love her after her body is altered by mastectomy, so she shields her heart. Or tries to, until she meets…

Shay Kelly

If you’re going to have a no-strings vacation fling, shouldn’t it be with someone who looks like an Olympic athlete? In this case, like 2012 Olympic gold-medal diver David Boudia? Oh, heck yeah. David isn’t an actor, but I’ve loved his sweet, unassuming personality since I saw him in interviews from the 2012 London games, and he worked hard to achieve his goals, much like Shay. When I was imagining Shay in my head, David came immediately to mind. It doesn’t hurt that he is incredibly handsome, and looks fantastic in a swimsuit. That smile…it kills me, and the dimples, especially that really deep one? I totally understand why Thea can’t resist touching it.

I also cast some of the supporting characters, so here’s a little about them.

Leesh: One side of the “besties” triangle, I imagined her to look like Karen Gillan, Amy Pond on DOCTOR WHO. She’s tall and slender with fiery red hair, freckles, and those big eyes. And sassy with a capital S-totally Leesh.

Bennie: Thea’s other best friend, Bennie is dark-haired and brown-eyed, with a strong, athletic body. She’s also supportive and strong-willed, but a bit of a romantic who tries to be tough but sometimes lets her guard down. Naya Rivera, best-known as Santana on GLEE, perfectly embodies these characteristics.

Fred: Shay’s best friend and fellow medical student, Fred is smart, a clean freak, and always ready to speak his mind. Maestro Harrell, who played Malik on SUBURGATORY, can make me laugh with just a look. His expression in this picture is how I envisioned Fred during a pivotal conversation he has with Shay.

Uncle Paddy: He surprised me. He’s only in a few scenes, but people have told me how much they liked him. His embarrassing behavior is the primary reason Thea and Shay actually speak to one another. He makes a brief appearance in book two about the three Kelly brothers, and plays a significant role in the final book. I wanted to include him here, though, because he’s so darn adorable. Irish actor Stuart Townsend is the perfect Paddy. Look at that mischievous expression!

If you’ve read GOODBYE TO YOU, who did you imagine in the roles? Close to my picks, or did you have completely different people in mind?

---

I wrote my first book at six. A retelling of The Three Little Pigs, illustrated by my grandmother, the book was never picked up and was self-published instead, glued to cardboard with a cover fashioned from wallpaper scraps.

Today, I write stories featuring nice guys (or nice guys in-the-making) in between my other jobs writing research reports for a commercial real estate company, refereeing two young daughters, navigating the teen waters with a too-cute-for-his-own-good son, spoiling a neurotic cat, and making my darling, patient husband shake his head. I'm also an autism mom, chocolate enthusiast, sports-watcher, nacho-eater, and beer-drinker.

A Maryland native, I live in North Carolina now, but dreams of the beach fuel my fantasties, and my characters can often be found strolling in the sand or sailing along a coast.

Once Upon a Twilight - http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/ - Promo Post
23 Review Street - http://23reviewstreet.blogspot.co.uk/ - Review
A Thousand Words A Million Books - http://athousandwordsamillionbooks.blogspot.in

a Rafflecopter giveaway